ABSTRACT
In order for their works to be as effective as possible, narrative writers must think carefully about the order of events in their pieces. This writing strategy, also called “organizing an event sequence,” is addressed in Common Core Writing Standards W.3.3.A, W.4.3.A, W.5.3.A, W.6.3.A, W.7.3.A, and W.8.3.A, and is an integral component of strong narrative writing. In this chapter, we’ll explore the following: what “organizing an event sequence” means; why this concept is important to writing a strong narrative; a description of a lesson on this concept; and key recommendations for teaching your students to organize event sequences in their own narrative writing. Throughout the chapter, we’ll look at how published authors organize event sequences in their own works and consider what makes those authors works particularly effective.
